Macross Plus

Macross Plus (マクロスプラス, Makurosu Purasu)

Production

Director

Story & Script

Mechanical Designer

Music

Macross Plus (マクロスプラス,Makurosu Purasu?) is a 1994 OVA created by Studio Nue and Triangle Staff. It was the first sequel to the original Macross television series that took place in the official timeline (Macross II was quickly retconned by series creator Shoji Kawamori as a parallel world story in the Macross universe). MacrossPlus was a ground-breaking combination of traditional cel- and computer-generated animation at the time of its release, paving the way for the incorporation of more computer-generated imagery in Japanese Animation.

Both the OVA series and movie were released in Japan by Bandai Visual and in North America and Europe by Manga Entertainment. The Australian VHS version was released by Manga Entertainment and the DVD version by Madman Entertainment under sub-license from Manga Entertainment. It features several new mecha designs inspired by the original series.

Their rivalry heats up when a mutual friend, Myung Fang Lone, shows up. Myung was a childhood friend of both pilots, but the three of them had a falling out, and quickly grew apart. This is alluded to throughout the story, and evidence of the strained relationship between Myung and either of the two men is apparent, while their distaste for one another is obvious. When they meet again, they discover that Myung is now the producer of Sharon Apple, the hottest entertainer in the galaxy, who just happens to be an AI hologram.

During a testing session, Guld and Isamu finally face off against each other- and an all out fight begins as each tries to best the other. Despite being in the middle of a testing area, they quickly proceed to tear the surrounding area to shreds in their fight to gain superiority over the other. Having turned off their communications equipment, both pilots fight using the test aircraft in a series of stunning dog-fight maneuvers before going into Battroid form and finishing the fight on the ground. In the process, an "accidental" gun pod discharge injures Isamu and he is taken to the hospital, where he awakens to Myung standing watch over him. After returning to duty, a military tribunal questions Guld about their fight in the test area, but ultimately the decision is left up to the Admiral in charge of the project. Chief Miller, the station commander of New Edwards Test Flight Facility reluctantly tells both pilots that their mission and the project has been scrubbed by the U.N. Spacy High Command- due to the completion of a newer, and previously unknown aircraft, the X-9 Ghost - an advanced stealth UCAV prototype, which was secretly being produced on Earth while two other prototypes (YF-19 and YF-21) were simultaneously being tested for Project Super Nova in planet Eden. With the X-9 Ghost completed, testing on the YF-19 and YF-21 was halted indefinitely, since the higher-ups believe that the new unmanned fighter is superior in every way.

Meanwhile, the AI Sharon Apple has developed a malevolent consciousness and, during her concert in the Atlantis Dome inside Earth's Macross City, quickly takes over both the X-9 Ghost and the SDF-1 Macross Fortress and hypnotizes her audience and the Macross' staff.

When discovering that Myung's life is in danger, Isamu and Guld have to travel to Earth and set aside their differences to overcome the events from their childhood that drove them apart and caused them to hate each other. While Isamu goes after Sharon, who has taken over the SDF-1 Macross, Guld fights the X-9 and ultimately destroys it by removing the gravitational safety limiters on his aircraft, and matching the X-9's velocity/maneuverability until he achieves a target lock and shoots the X-9 down. However, removing the limiters allows Guld to achieve accelerations exceeding human (even Zentradi-Human) limitations, which ultimately leads to his death—even as he crashes the YF-21 into the X-9, destroying it.

While fighting the SDF-1 Macross, Isamu is hypnotized by Sharon's voice, and is left to crash to his death. At the last second, Myung's voice reaches him and brings him out back to consciousness. Dodging the Macross' fire, Isamu is able to destroy the central computer, effectively eliminating Sharon.

The story ends as the sun rises over the Macross Fortress, with Myung waving to Isamu, who has survived the destruction of Sharon's computer.

After the success of Macross 7's theatrical movies, the OVA was edited into a movie that also featured newly-animated scenes.

Members of the team who helped to create Macross Plus would later create the critically-acclaimed Cowboy Bebop anime, among them would include the co-director of Macross Plus, Shinichirō Watanabe, who would direct Cowboy Bebop, and the musical composer, Yoko Kanno (who later also composed the music for Macross Frontier).